The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-10-01
IA sAuL ALSO AMONG THE pRoPHErs7

Is sAUL ALSO AMONG THE PR0PHETs7
We are very glad TO see that friend Sapp
of the Republican, has so far opened his
eyes to the situation that he quotes with
strong approval the words Of one who says
that the American cotton Industry needs no
protection-in fact, that, according 70 the
protectionist idea, the operative of England
ought 10 be protected against the "pauper
labor" of America. Now be consistent,
and keep right on 10 the legitimate conclu.
sion, and say that the cotton industry which
has been protected for ninety years has no
claim TO be called an infant industry. Say
as Daniel Webster did in 1924, when rep
resenting the state of Massachusetts, the
great cotton mandatory OF the United
States, that, in his judgement, the cotton
industry had received enough of protection.
Say, as the New England Association of
cotton manufacturers did in 1860, II you
will give US free machinery and free oil,
We will consent 10 repeal OF the protec
tective duties on cotton"
Now the fact is, that, counting the pay
either by the working hours of the year or
by the number of yards actually produced,
the American factory operative receives
less pay than the English. This is affirmed
IN the papers put forth by the Cotton Spin
ners of Fall River.
Why, then, In face OF the fact that we
exported less than half million of dollars
worth of cotton goods In 1884, did We i'm.
port twenty'eight and half millions worth
of cotton goods, and pay over zen millions
and half of duties on them?
Because the British and French and Ger
man manufacturers do not have to pay the
same prices for their costly machinery that
the American manufacturer Is obliged to
pay. Under the pretext of encouraging
manufactures, the essentials of manufac-
ure are taxed so heavily that the manufac-
ture Is crippled. Give the American man.
ufacturer the improved machinery free of
duty, and he can send out goods into the
markets of the world, not by thousands but
by millions of yards--not only cheap, heavy
goods In which raw material makes up
most of the value, but goods of higher
grade.
Several of the prominent lumber dealers
of Chicago, all of them Republicans, were
recently questioned as to the effect on the
lumber business Of the present tariff. The
answer was "The lumber men do not
want the tariff. This tariff was passed in
the interest Of the men who own stumpdge."
About two hundred men own most of the
great pineries of Wisconsin and Michigan.
They put up the price to the lumber deal
ers, and the lumber dealers to their custom
ers. If they are sharp enough to keep the
rate just low enough to prevent their Gus
toners from buying in Canada to better ad
vantage, they can and do raise the price to
the dealer nearly two dollars per thousand.
The dealer gets even by putting the differ
ence on the retail price. AS one of them
said, without the duty we should sell
more lumber at little less profit"
Prices are best liked by the natural laws
of trade. Free and fair competition regu-
lates them better then governmental inter
ference. If a Canadian and an American,
on opposite sides of Lake Huron, are cut
ting lumber, the American can lay his lum-
Der down in Chicago $500 thousand less
than the Canadian. That $500 advantage,
in the end, comes out of the consumer II
| Is not In human nature not to ask high
price when competition Is barred out.
Evanston, Ill. II. l.. B.